Paper Hearts and Perfect Snowflakes
by Ashlynn Lilacflower
Summary: Cho Chang had had enough of life without him. She wanted him back, so she went to go get him, even when she knew there would be no return. Cho/Cedric. One-shot.


**Author's Note:** Hi! *waves* This is my second holiday fic - I hope you like it! I'll be posting one tomorrow, too. I posted one last night called Here's to Them - you can find it on my profile.

**Disclaimer:**Obviously, I do not own Cho, Cedric, or anybody else.

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_Cold._

_So, so, __**so**__ cold._

_Why is it so cold?_

_Cho's Fourth Year_

Cho Chang was sitting in Charms class when it happened. Out of the blue, white flakes drifted down from the ceiling above her. They weren't wet and melting like the normal ones – they were cool, yes, but they didn't melt as they got caught in her hair and landed on her parchment.

Beautiful.

They were little snowflakes. They weren't all stuck together like the real ones – each one was a separate, perfect, six-pointed shape that had somehow magically appeared out of thin air to rain down upon her.

She smiled. She knew who was behind these flawless, tiny charms. Cedric Diggory – the sixth year who had been in a race for the past two years, hoping to steal her heart.

And oh yes, he was winning. He was in first place by miles.

The other boys weren't like him. They didn't have that… That charisma. Cedric had given her beautiful things – jewelry, perfumes, even Tornadoes tickets. But she'd explained to him that all she needed were the little things in life – a hand to hold, a song to sing…

In response, he'd made it rain paper hearts for her on Valentine's Day. He'd listened to her when she'd needed a listening ear. And now… Now he'd made it snow for her.

How could she resist any longer?

_She couldn't_.

_Summer before Cho's Fifth Year_

Over the summer, she'd been welcome at his house. The quaint little village where he lived was a retreat to her – a beautiful countryside where she could get away from Marietta's constant nosing and nagging. They'd had fun together, swimming in the lake and exploring the woods. Their friendship was a delicate thing to Cho – she'd never really had a genuine friend that she'd loved like that before.

Cedric was everything she wanted; he was everything she needed. He made her laugh when she was sad, made her cry with joy sometimes, made her just want to curl up next to him and stay there forever. Indeed, one night when they were sitting next to the fire, she'd put her arms around him and wouldn't let go.

"Cho," he'd said, laughing a bit nervously. "What're you doing?"

"I don't want to go," she'd replied. "I want to stay here with you and never leave."

He'd sighed and carefully wrapped his own arms around her fragile form. "I don't want you to leave either, but you have to tomorrow."

She'd sniffed a little, saying nothing.

That had been when he'd realized she was crying. He'd gently lifted her chin with one finger, looking down into her eyes. They were brimming with tears, one already strolling leisurely down her cheek. That wasn't what he wanted. "Cho," he whispered. "Don't cry. Please, please don't cry…"

But whatever he had been trying to say after that was blocked, for she'd pulled his face down to her and kissed him. It was brief and nothing like she'd expected – for he'd pushed her away.

"What? What's wrong, Ced?" she'd asked.

He wouldn't look at her. "I can't let you go there, Cho. You're only fifteen."

"I'm almost sixteen!"

Then he'd turned to face her. "And I'm almost seventeen. Don't you think you might be too young for me?" he'd murmured.

"Never," she'd said. They'd had a stare-down for an excruciatingly long moment before she'd given up and turned her gaze to the fire. She'd sighed and muttered, "But maybe to them I am…"

"I don't want you to be ridiculed if you have a relationship with me. You're too good for that," he'd said quietly into her hair. "You deserve better than that."

"I don't care," she'd cried. "It's not the same to not be with you at school when I can have you for the summer."

"We'll figure something out, Cho. Don't worry."

They'd sat there, clinging to each other, for the rest of the night. When dawn came, Cho was asleep in Cedric's arms, but he'd never gone to sleep – not once. She was too precious to him. He didn't want to let her out of his sight for a moment. But she had to go.

_And they did figure something out – the Yule Ball._

_The Yule Ball, Cho's Fifth Year_

They'd danced and twirled and waltzed all night long, happily together for the first time in ages. The opening dance was theirs – the floor had belonged to them and only them. There was no one else but them in the world for those few minutes.

When they'd gone outside to look at the moon, completely alone for the first time in ages, she'd pulled him toward an empty courtyard. They'd danced there, too, giggling and enjoying the serene coolness of the winter night. Everywhere there was snow – everywhere it rained down on them, glittering in the starlight. It was all ethereal, all otherworldly.

It was there, in that empty courtyard, that he'd first talked about getting married later. She'd hugged him tight and told him she'd never let him go – not even if death tore them apart.

He'd said that she understood exactly.

_And no one had ever ridiculed her, and even if they did, she couldn't care. She had him, and that was all that mattered to her._

_Cho's Years after School_

Every year, they heard her crying and laughing, alone in her room at Christmas. They knew something wasn't quite right with their mother, but they'd never known her any other way. Come Christmas day, they usually saw her vacuuming her room before they opened their presents.

It was nearly always covered with paper hearts and tiny, white, snowflakes that didn't melt.

It happened on Valentine's day too, and during the summer.

They didn't know what the significance of these little objects was, but they knew they were important.

And when they found her lying on her bed on a summer day, motionless except for the snowflakes and paper hearts drifting from the ceiling, they realized it was a lost love. When they read the note, they understood.

_I've realized, Cedric – it's a different kind of cold. A peaceful sleep, not a painful freezing. But still, I cannot be separated from you any longer, though I told you that not even death could tear us apart. I'm coming._

The date was June 24, 2045 – the fiftieth anniversary of his death.

_Warmth._

_So, so, __**so **__warm._

_It's wonderful to be in your arms again, Ced._

_Oh… It's raining all the little things… _

_This must be happiness._

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_**Please review =)**_


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